Done
by Quintessential Queen of Hearts
Summary: You can never have enough Mcabby
1. Chapter 1

Sadly, I do not own NCIS. No infringement intended.

Reviews are delightful.

It had been a rough couple of days. A particularly time consuming case had everyone's nerves on edge but Mcgee felt the breaking point coming. He might actually kill Tony this time. It wasn't the typical McNicknames or the nerd references. That was standard fare when DiNozzo was around. It was the women issue… again… Why it had to be Tony who walked in when Mcgee was being borderline sexually harassed by one of the witnesses he'd yet to understand. Was his karma really that bad?

Tony's glee had only increased when a new FBI agent had been sent to collect results from Abby. An agent who was apparently taken with the Goth persona. Okay so maybe he had been overreacted slightly. Refusing to leave the lab while the agent was around may have been overkill. Tim's warning glares to keep his distance had worked apparently and the agent was gone. Crisis averted. Yet again. It was just what happened when Abby was involved.

The team was back at their desks with the intention of finishing up reports in order to begin their weekend off. A constant string of suggestions about what Mcgee could do with the witness had lapsed into Tony's new favorite game: reminding Tim exactly what his position in Abby's life was. Not that Tony had ever understood exactly how complicated that relationship was. On again, Off again, Friends with benefits changing almost as soon as Tim, himself, was sure of what they were. Being reminded of his assumed location in the depths of the friend zone was not his idea of a good time. But the end of the day was finally in sight.

Maybe if he kept to his computer DiNozzo would get tired and try bothering Ziva. Before that had the chance to happen Tony had thrown out another McJealous comment. Of course, now that Mcgee wanted Gibbs to do that weird all-knowing thing and tell DiNozzo to get back to work, Gibbs was staring at his computer as if it held nuclear codes. Probably trying to check his email.

Tony never knew when to back off with Mcgee. He liked to see how far he could push him before Tim snapped back. Usually it was fine, just how they worked together. But Abby was typically a subject kept off limits since the end of their official relationship. Tony knew Mcgee still had a thing for her. He still found it almost as funny as he did back when Tim had first started working for Gibbs. Tim knew this, knew DiNozzo didn't know the reality of the situation. Maybe it was because he and Abby had been leaning more towards the together end of the relationship dial lately but Tim was having a hard time keeping the mental walls up.

It was getting harder to pretend he didn't love her. Not that he was ever very successful at that. But somehow it had been different lately and he knew it probably wouldn't end well for him. It never did. He was destined to love her yet never have her, not the way he wanted. But being the masochist that he was, he would take anything she could give him. Being in friend zone with Abby may be painfully difficult, but being without her would be devastating.

Mcgee's mental musing was cut off when Tony did in fact finally turn to Ziva. Tim let out a sigh hoping he could finish his report and be free for the next few days. That thought lasted all of the two seconds it took him to process what Tony was actually saying. "So you see, Ziva, the Probie has been taken with the mistress of the dark from the beginning. You've probably noticed his jealous mating dance. It could be worse though, their little fling resulted in some pretty amusing material. Did I ever tell you how she convinced Mcgee to collect all this nonsense from a crop circle…" Rage filled Mcgee. Before Tony could get out another word Tim had turned on him.

The string of threats of bodily harm that came out of his mouth probably sounded more like an exaggerated hiss than actual English. Tony's amusement apparently hadn't worn off. Nobody had ever taken him seriously about this. After all these years, they still thought he had some awkward fascination of her, a juvenile crush. He was so tired of all of it. Tired of not being taken seriously, tired of having to defend himself all the time, and currently tired of DiNozzo's voice.

Tony had raised his eyebrows at the hissed threats and turned back to face Mcgee. "Seriously? Still holding out Mcgee? Think she's going to come around if you scare off enough visitors to her lab? Thought you had given up on that years ago." Whatever Tony had been expecting in response, it did not include the sound of hands slamming against the desk as Mcgee bit out a harsh "She was my girlfriend." Like it justified anything. Made his situation any different. Even worse, as soon as he had opened his mouth he felt her beside his desk. On top of everything else, she had to appear the second it was too late to stop talking. He managed to note, over the pounding anger in his head, that apparently he had earned the attention of the rest of the team. Gibbs let out a sharp "DiNozzo", finally recognizing that his senior field agent had gone too , it was Abby's quiet "Stop" that froze the scene.

She had been bored in her lab. All the evidence processed and put away, she had decided to go visit the team. Stepping off the back elevator she had heard Tony's remarks. While she allowed his harmless teasing of Timmy truly hurting him was out of the question. She was preparing a response to throw off the tension when she stepped up beside Tim's desk. Her timing was ideal to witness his assault of the furniture and outburst. Her previous statement was forgotten. "Stop."

One word drew everyone's attention to her. Now three members of Gibbs' team were staring at her with varying expressions of curiosity. It didn't matter. What did matter was that Timothy Mcgee was flat out refusing to look at her. Rather, he seemed to be highly interested in the clock on the opposite wall. She stepped in front of his desk, face on to him. "Timmy." No response. He was stubborn. She reached out and put her her hand over one of his. Every muscle in his entire arm must have been locked in place. "Tim." Her voice was quiet but she knew he heard. It was just a matter of time. Mcgee could not avoid her gaze forever. She could practically feel his mind working, coming to the conclusion that she wasn't going to let this go, weighing his odds, deciding how to play it out. She knew that he knew that he was going to give in from the minute she said his name.

Abby felt some of the tension leave his hand as he slowly looked down and met her eyes. She could read him like a book. Saw everything in his eyes. It had always been that way. In some ways they were perfect opposites with each other. Him so guarded yet open, her so open yet guarded. He had never been afraid to let her see exactly how he felt about her. She didn't comment on it but she always knew. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the intensity with which he could look at her. Well, she didn't use to be. That relatively new revelation didn't scare her as much as it should have.

She kept her eyes trained on his. Despite being able to geek talk for hours and finish each other sentences, words were not always necessary. His questioning look burned into her as she nodded her response. Yes, they would talk later. Away from the others. Silent agreement reached Abby went to remove her hand but found her wrist caught as she moved. "Promise." Neither a question nor a demand. His request binding her to follow through, to not deflect the conversation as was her talent. She nodded once again and he released her arm before finally breaking his eyes away from hers. The whole scene couldn't have been more than a few moments. She turned to return to the safety and sanctuary of her lab only pausing to shoot Tony a glare.

Gone as quickly as she appeared. Tim threw himself back into his chair. Promising to make her talk, was he stupid? Was this going to be what it took for her to finally break away from him? To realize he was in far too deep? She had never wanted what he did. He turned back to his previously forgotten report making a point to not look at the others. He could at least hopefully salvage his sanity in front of them. He heard Gibbs vaguely telling Tony to go check with Ducky. Good, The last thing Mcgee wanted was to go another round with the very special agent. By the time Tim was putting his report on Gibbs' desk, Tony still wasn't back and Ziva looked to be finishing hers as well.

Not waiting for permission Tim grabbed his things and left. His apartment was calling, the writing he had planned was looking less and less likely to happen. Now he would probably spend the whole night trying to figure out what he was going to say to Abby. She had promised after all. It would take her awhile to show up but she would. Deciding how to edit what he really wanted to say to her was essential. If he let lose, started in on promises of eternal devotion, she'd probably be out the door before he was done.

Tony was not an idiot. He realized he had pushed the Probie a bit too far this time. He also knew making el jefe mad would probably come back to bite him later. Being sent to check on whatever Ducky had quickly turned out to be useless. The doctor was out for the night. Tony didn't particularly want to go back and be stared at by Gibbs, or worse forced to do paperwork. Running out of options he turned towards the lab. Making sure Abby wasn't too mad at him would probably be a good idea for his overall survival. Tony'd seen how she looked at him, she wasn't happy. She could kill him if she wanted to after all. Stopping in the doorway he could see her sitting, elbows on the lab table, ramming her head into her hands. Apparently she could hear him shuffling about because her head snapped up to meet his. Deciding there was no turning bak, he put on his signature DiNozzo smile and went in.

Abby watched him saunter into her lab. Dealing with Tony would be easier than thinking about Mcgee. "And you don't even come bearing Caf-Pow" she said as he crossed over to stand beside her. "My apologies, pretty lady," came his reply. Charming her was not going to cut it this time. Especially without Caf-Pow. Tony had crossed a line. A line he probably didn't even know existed. Whatever she and Mcgee were or weren't was not to be used as leverage against Tim. Her quiet staring seemed to be making Tony uncomfortable. As fun as it was to watch Tony squirm, she didn't feel like dragging it out. A raised eyebrow was all it took for him to speak. "Look, Abs, I'm sorry for badgering Mcgee. I'd say I won't do it again but we both know that'd be a lie. I didn't know he was going to get so bent out of shape."

Abby knew Tony didn't mean any real harm. Most people had ever taken her and Tim's relationship seriously. Ziva hadn't been around back then, Tony still found it almost funny. Who knew what Gibbs thought. For some reason she thought he might not be as Rule 12 as he used to be. Her heart clenched, Kate had known. Her best friend. Her confidant in all things. She had known how Abby felt, how scared she was to love Mcgee. But when Kate had died so had secrets she held concerning a certain young agent. It had been a long time since Abby had someone to talk to. "I know Tony. But it's not fair to him. He has never done anything wrong. Just don't use our relationship against him." Tony cocked his head at her, "relationship?" "Tony, there are things I'm not proud of. One of them is how I've treated Mcgee."

The last time they'd had a real relationship Abby had been scared. Terrified to meet someone she could actually see herself with longterm. Was that even a word in her vocabulary? Ever since she had broken up with him, citing a variety of reasons and hiding behind rule 12, things had changed. At some point she had fallen in love with him. She was still scared, afraid she had done too much damage for him to take her back. What if he had finally had enough? She wasn't sure she could take that.

Trying to protect herself all those years ago could end up bringing her demise now. Her own words almost choked her. "Tony, you have no idea. Whatever I am with him, I have to fix it. This time it's all on me. I have not been fair to him. I know how he feels about me, how he has always felt about me. I haven't been able to give that back to him, not in the way he deserves. But I can't stop myself from taking from him. Whenever I need someone, in ways the rest of you can't fill, he's the one I go to. He would never turn me away. Never say no to me, but I know what it does to him. I constantly give him hope then crush it. What if this time it's too much. I can't risk losing him Tony. He makes things okay." And it was true. With Tim it was okay to stop. She never had to explain what she was talking about. He didn't look at her in the half questioning way most people typically did. Tim let her be, accepted her for who she was and wanted nothing more. With him, it was okay to be a living paradox. That was something rare in her world.

The way she was looking at him told him more than he ever would have guessed about his friends. Her hollow look of blinding fear startled him. This was Abby, who solved all the problems, broke the cases wide open and apparently was in love with his partner. Tony thought of himself as a perceptive person, usually he was, so how did he miss that two of his best friends had fallen in love with each other. Not only had the depth of their relationship slid by him but also the amount the were both tearing themselves up about it. Wow, if he had known… "Abby, maybe you should talk to him." "Oh, I know, I already promised I would." So that had been what their creepy silent talking thing had been about. She seemed to be done with their conversation. He twirled one of her pigtails and leaving her with her thoughts headed for the door. Her voice stopped him as he was in reach of the hall. "You may be forgiven by me, but you still need to apologize to Mcgee." "Will do Abs." And she was left alone.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own NCIS, no infringement is intended.

I am completely astounded by the lovely reviews. I cannot thank those of you who reviewed enough.

That being said, I would love to have more. Please Review!

Abby had every intention of talking to Mcgee. However, having that conversation, putting herself out there for acceptance or rejection or whatever was going to come out of it was not an easy thing to do. Her head was a bit of a mess. It wasn't like she ever really stopped thinking but thinking today was wearing her out. Worry and fear were not her friends. Before she went to Mcgee's she decided she had one more thing to do. She needed validation from someone who knew her, who loved her but was not in love with her. Abby needed Papa Bear. It would probably also be beneficial to make absolutely sure he wouldn't tell her to forget it or lose her lab, or fire Tim. And if he did tell her rule 12… well there were other rules that could contradict that one. Oh yes, using the rules against him, that would go over well. She killed her engine in his driveway. Step one, seek approval. Order was important. It didn't hurt that it gave her more stalling time, like dealing with Tony; dealing with Gibbs was a good way to put off the main event.

Gibbs could tell a lot about which of the "kids" was coming to his basement before he ever laid eyes on them. With both Abby and Tony, he could pretty much gather their mood before they hit the bottom of the steps. Ziva too, although there were still times he looked up and saw her watching him before he was aware anyone had joined him. Tim never really came to the basement like the others, if he wanted something he typically stayed on the ground level. Still not wanting to intrude. Even that was rare. Tonight he could hear that Abby would be joining him. He could hear her boots clunking overhead. She paused before starting on the stairs. Well she hadn't talked to Mcgee yet. If she had she wouldn't be hesitating. She stopped halfway down the stairs, then at the bottom of the staircase. Gathering courage meant she was nervous. She didn't need to be. Always making it harder on herself then it should have been. He'd seen this one coming for quite some time.  
>Abby made it to the boat and ran her hand along the smooth surface. Gibbs was sanding on the opposite side. "Hey Abs." "Hi Gibbs." Silence. She watched him sand for a few more minutes.<p>

Finally, He started "This have something to do with the floor show today?" "Yeah, going to talk to him later." "Pretty sure that's between the two of you." "Not if you fire him. Or me." She looked at Gibbs as he considered a particularly annoying bit of wood that wouldn't cooperate. "Abs, I haven't fired either one of you yet." "I know but if we break Rule 12 this time it might be different." Gibbs looked up at her in his all knowing way. "Think that went out the door before I ever hired Mcgee." They usually were pretty good at keeping the grab ass out of the office. Rule 12 wasn't meant to keep you from people you loved. He knew Abby knew that as well. As it turned out, Rule 12 was a pretty good front to hide behind when you were running from commitment.

If he had found it necessary to intervene, he would have put a stop to their dating when they actually had been, although he was sure they'd been breaking Rule 12 off and on ever since they initially ended things. The real issue for her coming to his basement had to be lurking somewhere in that head of hers. "You don't care then?" "I would care if I thought you were doing something that would end up hurting you. But I don't think that's part of Mcgee's plan." They were at the real issue. Now the guise of the rules had been dealt with. "What if something goes wrong Gibbs? What if he decides I'm not what he wants?" "Then you fix it. And I don't think you need to worry about the second part Abs. I've read his books. Know you have too. Mcgee's not exactly subtle."

Was that ever the truth? Gibbs really hadn't needed to know that much about his forensic scientist's bedroom. Abby nodded, subtly was not Tim's strongest attribute, especially in his writing, there had been a lengthy discussion about exactly how much of her life he could detail after the first book came out. Half of the country could probably navigate her apartment. Abby waited a few more minutes contemplating their conversation. Then she had walked over to his side of the boat and hugged him. "Thanks Gibbs." He ran his thumb down the side of her jaw. The sign was a gesture he reserved for when she really needed it. His girl. The first to burst her way into his life after he was sure the parent in him was dead. The one who started their odd little family. "Don't want him getting hurt either Abs." She understood the warning. Be careful. Don't break him. All or nothing. No going back. Point taken.

Mcgee had successfully managed to do almost nothing since his arrival home hours before. After dropping his things in their designated spots and taking his dog outside, a near catatonic state had been assumed. Thinking was driving him crazy. Who knew when Abby would decide to talk to him. It was really pointless to attempt to prepare in any sense of the word. She would find him and everything would slip out of his head and leave him a mumbling mess. Experience had taught him as much. It was also more than likely ridiculous to hope she could want more from him. But, there had been and still were occasional times when she would show up at his apartment. He was never quite sure what she was looking for when she came. Sometimes she was content to wrap herself around him and spend the whole night watching mindless television. But when she wasn't it was like being together again. Letting himself get lost in her was worth every repercussion. After she was gone, things would return to the status quo. Her being there was a double edged sword, he wouldn't trade their time together for anything but the apartment was always so empty when she left. Mcgee was getting tired of alone. He had tried making it work with other people. But nobody was ever quite good enough, not quite right. In reality, nobody was ever quite Abby. The knock on the door broke his train of thought.

Opening the door revealed that Abby had followed through on her promise. Not that there was ever a question that she would. Mcgee let the door swing open and moved aside to let her in. Entering his apartment was a well rehearsed event; boots off by the door, keys on his cabinet and bag wherever it landed. Then came Jethro. Running her fingers through the dogs fur was calming. Stalling with the dog couldn't last forever. Life altering decisions were far too difficult. She was being ridiculous. Moving to stand in front of Mcgee her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. Her mind was going at warp speed. They had reached the turning point. Now or never. But then she looked at him, and he was just Tim standing there waiting for her to say something. How many times had they been in this position? Timmy, the same constant he had been in her life since she first talked to him on the phone forever and a day ago. She stepped forward and clung onto him. Hands clasping at his shirt, head buried in his chest. There was a finality in the moment that grounded her, gave her a seriousness she tended to try and avoid. He let her rest against himself for a bit, enfolding her in his arms. Just when he was starting to think this was some kind of Abby-esque goodbye her voice brought him back out of his head.

"Tim, if it's okay with you I'd like to be done." Fear crept over his body. "Done with what, Abby?" "Pretending, looking, denying, being scared, whatever it is I've been doing all this time. I'm done. I want to be with you again if you'll let me. I know I've made a mess of things and I'm sorry that it's taken so long for me to try and fix. But I'm done. If I'm honest about it I picked you a long time ago and I've been too scared to do anything about it. I have lost so many people. If something had happened, if you say no now… I can't lose you too." She wasn't saying no. She was saying exactly what he had always wanted her to. Hope beyond hope somehow seemed to be working for him this time. "Abby, I am never going to willingly leave you. I will always do absolutely everything I can to come back." He felt her nod against his chest, trembling in a very unAbby way and pulled her tighter against him. Her fears weren't unfounded.

The job had claimed their friends over the years, her parents dead long before he knew her. Abby did not do well alone. It was why she always went into panic mode at any threat they faced. Then Kate's death had rocked Abby to her very core. It had been the final straw; Kate was one last person she couldn't stand to lose. He had sometimes wondered, when he allowed himself to think of such things, if Kate hadn't died, if things would be different for them. If Abby had been able to keep Kate, could she have been more open to keeping him as well? But the past was the past and now she was here with him, choosing him. He was good with being done. He'd wanted to be done the first time they had been together. "You'll let me love you? However I want? For as long as I want? You're serious this time? Abby, I can't keep going the way we have been. Please be serious."

There would be no backing away this time. She had made her decision and now she was accepting it. Tim was it for her, always had been, always would be. "Yes, Mcgee, I'd really like that. Loving you back too, If it's okay with you." With the smile he gave her, you would have thought she handed him the key to the world. Then he was kissing her. Relief washed over her. Everything was right. For the first time in years, the pieces seemed to fall perfectly into place, some of the chaos that was her mind calmed. Tim's relief at not losing her, at getting exactly what he'd wanted quickly turned into figuring out how to remove anything with a fang or spike from her body. Bloodshed tended to put a damper on kissing her and he didn't intend to stop for quite some time. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever be letting her go again if he got his way. And if the recent turn of events was any indication he would apparently be getting his way. That thought was still blowing his mind.

Tony raised his fist to knock on Mcgee's door the next morning. Hopefully, Mcgee wouldn't be too mad at him anymore. At least it wasn't like he'd angered Ziva. Going to her place to apologize would probably require dodging bullets, knives and her ninja skills before he could even get a word in edgewise. He'd have to remember that the next time he ended up with his foot in his mouth around her. The wrath of the Ninja was kind of fun. He didn't think Mcgee would come out shooting but that dog of his was a little scary. It had tasted human blood after all. Banging on the door, he waited until Mcgee opened it, gave him a questioning look, and moved aside to let him in. "Okay, McTim, yesterday I crossed a line. I've come offering peace. I promise to not bring up the lab rat again and to try and spread the love more evenly between you and Probette." Tim considered him for a minute. It might be worth it to see what all he could get Tony to agree to before letting him off the hook. He wasn't even mad at him. Yesterday had ended too well to worry about Tony's behavior. Tony was Tony, take it or leave it. After all he could always keep yesterday's incident for future blackmail. Once DiNozzo had finished speaking he waited, hoping Mcgee wasn't going to draw this out and make him actually pay for his comments for once.

"What's done is done Tony, but I'm telling Ziva you're calling her Probette again. I'm sure she'll be thrilled." "Fair enough…" he started but it was then that he noticed the boots and the bag and the fanged necklace scattered across Mcgee's living room."Wait a second. Abby's here?" Tim stopped to consider what he should say but decide he was past caring. She was with him. She wasn't going anywhere. There had been more talking before they finally feel asleep. When he woke up, she was still there, hadn't changed her mind and snuck off in the middle of the night. By some miracle, Abby was all in. That was all that mattered. "She's asleep." "Seriously? You should get documentation. There's a pool going at work about whether or not she actually sleeps." Mcgee couldn't help but laugh. Abby at work and Abby at home could be very different. He was sure more pools existed. If there was enough money in them maybe he'd even start joining, he was reasonably sure he would win. "Outside of work, we have a longstanding limited Caf-Pow agreement." He could see the questions forming in Tony's mind. The interrogation could come later. He corralled Tony towards the door and had it open before the first question could find its way out. Saying his goodbyes he closed the door after his friend. He still had his weekend, Two whole days with Abby. He seemed to know that this time it was different. Must have been some kind of instinct. They were going to work. If she got scared, he'd remind her. She was still there and he wasn't going anywhere. Except back to his bedroom.


End file.
